The Law of Desire

This book offers the first comprehensive discussion of Lacan's Kant with Sade, an essay widely recognised as one of his most important and difficult texts. Here, the reader will find a detailed roadmap for each section of the essay, including clarifications of the allusions, implicit borrowings and references in Lacan's text, unique insights into the essay's publication history, and a critical assessment of its reception. The author expertly defines key terms, explains complex theoretical arguments, and contextualizes the work within a larger philosophical discourse. No prior knowledge of Lacan, Kant or Sade is assumed, allowing both newcomers and those who are well-versed in psychoanalysis, philosophy, and literary criticism to benefit from the book. This engaging book clears the path for a long overdue re-discovery and a proper appreciation of one of Lacan's most challenging works, inspiring a renewed debate on the significance of Lacanian psychoanalysis for moral philosophy and literary theory.

Introduction.- 1. A New Ethical System.- 2. Lacan Reads Kant.- 3. Sade s Kantian Maxim.- 4. Regarding the Pain of Others.- 5.Ineluctable Libertine Pleasures.- 6. The Sadean Fantasy.- 7. Surely, it is Just a Fantasy!.- 8. Sade s Practical Reason.- 9. The Law Sustains Desire.- 10. Sade Against Kant.- 11. The Moral Principle of Desire.- 12. Desire and Happiness.- 13. Lacan Against Sade.- 14. Some More Effort .- Conclusion.